Saudi Arabia's new king is expected to continue a policy of keeping oil output steady to drive out rival producers, though the royal succession has focused market attention on the future of the kingdom's long-serving oil minister.
Sectors
Italy cheers ECB bond buying plan, sees big boost to economy
The European Central Bank's bond buying program will give a decisive boost to Italy's stagnant economy, business lobby Confindustria said on Saturday, while the Bank of Italy said it would make it easier to pass reforms.
After wave of QE, onus shifts to leaders to boost economy
Central banks have done their best to rescue the world economy by printing money and politicians must now act fast to enact structural reforms and pro-investment policies to boost growth, central bankers said on Saturday.
Venezuela's currency woes an increasing threat to U.S. corporate profits
Venezuela's deepening economic troubles, and in particular the weakness of the bolivar and restrictive currency controls, have hurt U.S. corporate profits for the fourth quarter of 2014 and are set to inflict further pain this year.
Draghi says euro zone governments need to redouble reform efforts
National governments in the euro zone need to redouble their reform efforts to create a "genuine" economic union, ECB Mario Draghi wrote in a German magazine published on Saturday after the European Central Bank's bond-buying programme was unveiled.
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Honda Motor Co (7267.T) has chosen a competitor of embattled Takata Corp (7312.T) to supply air bags for the next North American version of its Accord sedan, the automaker's best-selling vehicle, two people with knowledge of the decision said.
For years he was a lone voice in the aviation industry despite being one of its best-known economists, a Cassandra-like figure whose warnings of a slump in oil prices went unheeded.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc's drug Natpara to treat a rare hormone disorder, validating a bet by Shire Plc, which recently agreed to acquire NPS for $5.2 billion.
Russian banks with at least 25 billion roubles in capital and willing to increase lending to key sectors of the economy will be able to participate in a 1 trillion rouble ($15.65 billion) recapitalization plan, Russia announced on Friday.
U.S. home resales rebounded in December, but continued low participation by first-time buyers in the market suggested the housing recovery would remain gradual for now.
The Federal Reserve could be key for Wall Street next week as investors get to hear from the U.S. central bank for the first time since a series of moves by its global peers, including the European Central Bank's massive stimulus plan.
The European Central Bank agreed on Thursday to embark on a quantitative easing (QE) programme, which together with its existing schemes will pump 60 billion euros a month into the euro zone economy from this March until September next year.
Oil prices jumped on Friday as news of the death of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah added to uncertainty in energy markets already facing some of the biggest shifts in decades
A deal on a 12-nation Asia-Pacific trade pact could be concluded in mid-March, Mexico's economy minister, Ildefonso Guajardo, said on Thursday.
